From theNew York Timesbestselling author ofAnnihilation, Jeff VanderMeer's first novel,Veniss Underground, takes readers on a journey to a labyrinthine city of tunnels, and the dangers lurking behind each turn.This paperback edition features the bonus novella "Balzac's War."In a dark and decadent far future, the city of Veniss persists beside a dead ocean. Earth has become a desert wasteland ravaged by climate change. Veniss endures on the strength of its innovative tech of almost Boschian intensity, but at what cost? Where does the line between "made creature" and "person" lie?Against this backdrop,Veniss Undergroundspins the tale of Nicholas, an aspiring, struggling Artist; his twin sister, Nicola; and Shadrach, Nicola's former lover. A fateful trip by Nicholas to the maverick biotech Quin will have far-reaching consequences for all three—and for the fate of Veniss itself, as insurrection stirs and the oppressed...